


The Executioner

by ThisAnimatedPhantom



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Angels, Angst, Based off of EmptyFeet's Original Animatic | CHURCH, Demons, Executioner - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Forced Servitude, Friendship, Imprisonment, Inky Mystery AU, Joey Drew is a Jerk!, Kidnapping, Rebellion, War, tyranny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:15:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisAnimatedPhantom/pseuds/ThisAnimatedPhantom
Summary: Young demon Bendy is taken to be the executioner for the grand creators to punish those who transgress the highest laws. After years of fulfilling his duty and living in imprisonment, he meets a kind angel by the name of Alice. Through mutual curiosity, the pair's eyes are opened to a larger world around them. And neither can ever be the same again.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 74





	The Executioner

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bendy and Boris in The Inky Mystery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726146) by [Mercowe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercowe/pseuds/Mercowe), [ThisAnimatedPhantom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisAnimatedPhantom/pseuds/ThisAnimatedPhantom). 



> Hello!  
> I watched a music video and was inspired so I write a thing. Then I stopped. Then I started again and finished it. It was really fun! For now, it’s a one shot. Maybe someday I’ll add to it? Maybe not? Either way I hope you enjoy!

Bendy stared at the statue of the creator, Joey Drew, until one of the angels behind him shoved him forward. Bendy stumbled but saved himself from falling. They walked down the stone cobbled hallway. Bendy’s clawed feet clicked against the stones ahead of the softer pads of the angel’s sandals. Bendy’s young, wide eyes scanned over everything. The stain glass windows of Joey, Henry, and Sammy. Paintings of angels in battle. His feet touched something wet. Bendy looked down. Blood. 

He followed the blood puddle to the source. Around a corner of another hall, a body lay. It was a demon. He had a brand on his arm. The Executioner. Bendy paused, but the angels behind him didn’t allow him to stare. They pushed him forward again. He was taken to a room and forced to his knees. One of the angels knelt across from him and grabbed his forearm. The runes around the angel’s wrists glowed white. Bendy hissed as burning pain raced up his arm. The angel let go of his arm. Bendy cradled it to himself, glaring at the angel. The angel didn’t seem fazed at all. The halo symbol on his chest, just under his collarbones, glinted at Bendy. The second angel grabbed Bendy by the back of neck. Bendy snarled as the angel dragged him to a door, opened it, and threw him in. 

It was dark. There were bars, a prison. Bendy curled up on the stone floor and looked at him arm. The executioner symbol. Bendy whimpered. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. He had been captured. He didn’t know what had happened to everyone else. Where were his parents? Still, he had guesses. He had heard stories about this place. 

The creators built this place, the studio, for them to work with their creations. The angels were their loyal servants, upholding the creators laws and granted greater powers for their service. 

Still, when there were people that broke the laws, there was punishment. And that’s where he was supposed to come in. Being killed by a demon was the worst punishment. It was saved for murderers and traitors, the worst of the worst. He wondered if they expected him to devour the guiltys’ souls? There were so many rumors. Bendy was terrified. 

* * *

The demon lashed his tail as the doors opened. He had grown tall, with spikes, fangs, claws, and burning red eyes. Life as the Executioner was a predictable and sad one. He ate three times a day. He slept whenever he felt like in his barred cell. Otherwise, he was here to fight. He stepped out into the light. The crowd around the stadium cheered at his appearance. Bendy sneered. They looked at him as a creature, a bloodthirsty beast, nothing more. The cheers were for the celebration of violence his claws and fangs promised. He tilted his horned head toward the tall throne-like seats. All empty today, so none of the creators were observing the slaughter. 

The door opposite him opened, and a man was shoved out. He had a knife in his hand and a black diamond on his chest. The mark of a murderer. They always let the murderer enter the arena with the weapon they had killed with. The man was wiry but built. Maybe a runner or a swimmer. Bendy could see him shaking from where he stood. Bendy half crouched, ready to start. The sweet scent of fear wafted toward the demon. The man looked at the closed door behind him like he hoped they would let him out. 

Bendy charged. The guy’s head snapped back to him. Panic made his eyes widen. He swung the knife randomly. Bendy ducked and slashed upward with his claws. The man cried out and was pushed back. His arm swung wildly and slashed Bendy’s chest. Bendy hissed, his eyes blazing as pain pulsed through him. 

The man turned to run. Bendy dropped to all fours and pounced like a big cat. His fangs flashed...and it was over. 

The demon stood up, deaf to the cheers and noise from the bloodthirsty audience. A mix of angels and Surface dwellers. Bendy’s door opened. If he didn’t go, the angel guards would come with their burning staffs of light to force him. Bendy licked his chops with his forked tongue as he walked to the door. Once he was back in the comfort of the shadows, two angels grabbed him. One bound his wrists behind him with cords of light. They didn’t burn like the rods, but Bendy knew that if he resisted, the bands would easily cut into his flesh. The angels took him down the hall, away from the arena and back toward his prison room. They paused to make him kneel in front of a drain. One angel held him there as the other dumped water over him, washing the blood away. Bendy hissed as the cool water made his wound sting. The angel’s hold on him tightened.

“Wait,” a soft voice said. “Allow me.” The press on the back of Bendy’s neck lessened, allowing Bendy to look up. He lifted a curious brow. She was an angel. It was obvious from the wings and halo symbol exposed under her collarbone. She was beautiful. That wasn’t odd for angels either.

Her black, wavy hair framed her face. Her pale skin was flawless with a little beauty mark under the corner of one eye. Her full lips were painted black. She was wearing the usual robes of an angel. The insignia clip on the shoulder of her robe identified her as a healer. All of that was normal. Though, the insignia identified her as high ranking in the angel hierarchy. 

No, the thing that made her different was the gentle, concerned look in her midnight dark eyes. She lifted a hand and the rune symbol on her body glowed white. Bendy tensed, expecting pain. Instead, a warmth washed over him. Light on his chest distracted him. He looked down to see his wound glow white and then vanish. It was like she had wiped it away with a warm cloth. 

He looked back up at her, not understanding her kindness. The corner of her lip twitched, hinting at a smile. 

“There is no need, Lady Alice. Demons heal quickly,” one of the guards said. 

Alice’s eyes turned to the other angel, the kindness in her gaze turned flat. “I don’t see a reason for further suffering.” With that, she turned and walked away. The guards grabbed Bendy and took him to his cage. 

Bendy sat and thought, his tail lashing back and forth like a bored cat. 

Bendy’s cell was spacious. It half circled an open court space. Trees, flowers, vines, and bushes grew in the manicured spaces the angels took care of. The ‘window’ of Bendy’s cell was a stone wall, barely two feet tall. Bars on it kept him in but gave him a wide view of the courtyard. The stones of the floor, ceiling, and other wall were the same dull grey. He had a pile of old blankets for a bed that he had pushed into a far corner and made into a nest. On the opposite side of the cell, around the other corner, was his feeding bowl and the food door that they slid his meals in through. There was also a little fountain that was always running for drinking water. 

He could have just cleaned himself off there, but angels. He guessed they didn’t want him licking up the murderer’s blood. Not that he would. Sure, fear made blood taste amazing, but Bendy always felt sick after. Another life was gone. Sure, he was a murderer. Bendy didn’t know why the man had killed, but a death for death...Who wins in that sort of thinking? Maybe if the man murdered a number of people? But serial killers acted differently. Bendy had fought enough to be able to tell. Many of them would almost be excited to face him with their weapons of choice. Like he was a new challenge. Or calmly, like they were perfectly fine with the idea of death. There was a darkness to them, not the darkness that made up Bendy or other dark creatures, but a blackness of the soul. He could sense it. See it in their dead eyes. 

Bendy shivered and turned his thoughts to the angel. His claw slowly went to the place the wound had been. What was that? Why had she done that? What had been that look in her eyes? It wasn’t normal. He had once heard about the kindness of angels. People talked as they walked past his cage, after all. But that kindness was never extended to the likes of him. Angels were always blind followers. Foolish, prideful, and cruel. 

Not her. Bendy’s mind went around in circles as he puzzled over this ‘Lady Alice.’ He stared unseeing into the court and the passing people. They always kept a wide berth from his cage bars and pretended to not see him. Only the guards and the birds would ever venture near.

He couldn’t make heads or tails of the strange angel and eventually dismissed it. Two weeks passed. The routine started up again. Eat, sleep, fight, eat again. 

Then one day, when Bendy didn’t have a fight, something happened. Three angels were crossing the court. Bendy watched lazily when one of the angels stopped. She looked directly at him. Bendy froze. It was her. The other two stopped and looked from her to him. Her head was covered in some sort of veil. It looked like she had come from some sort of ceremony. The long white dress was sleeveless and showed her beautiful markings and pale skin. One of the angels said something to her. Bendy strained to hear, but they were too far and spoke too quietly. 

She answered, looking away from Bendy. They started to walk again. She tossed him a curious glance over her shoulder. Bendy stared back. What was with that angel?

* * *

Bendy groaned and sunk down the stone wall, feeling the uneven stone slabs brush his fur the wrong way. His muscles were stiff and sore. The traitor and murderer he had to fight had been a soldier. He had been very difficult to beat, and Bendy had feared that it was his death coming instead, for a moment. It wasn’t fair the man had been allowed his sword.

“Are you okay?” Bendy’s eyes snapped open. There she was again. She stood on the other side of the bars, gazing at him with concern. “I...saw what happened. He injured you.” Bendy gazed at her with his red eyes. What was she doing here? “I can heal you again.” He blinked. But why? If she had seen, she saw that he had killed the man. He was also a killer. A demon. Why was she doing this? Pity? 

Bendy wrapped his tail around his folded legs, unsure what to do. She shifted and bit her lip. “I-I’m gonna do it unless you show me you don’t want me to.” She lifted her hands. The white light blazed from her marks. The warmth washed over Bendy gently, and his wounds lit up before disappearing. Bendy looked down at himself before staring at her again. She lowered her hands and sighed. “There.” She smiled. “That’s better, right?”

Bendy tilted his head. Her eyes had that gentleness to them again. “I don’t even know if you understand me, but I hope you know that I’m sorry.” Bendy blinked again. He shifted from the wall and stood. She stiffened and took a step back. Bendy slowly approached the window. He was roughly seven feet tall. She was tiny compared to him. She gazed up at him with wide eyes. He could smell the fear, but it didn’t show on her face.

He crouched by the bars, placing his clawed hands on the low stone wall and just stared. Trying to take in every detail of this curious angel. She stared back for a moment. Finally she spoke. “You do understand me, don’t you?” she asked. Bendy hesitated. No angel had ever talked to him directly unless it was an order to do something. Like an animal. He wasn’t sure how he should react. Would he get in trouble if he agreed? His tail twitched back and forth, the spike clicking against the stones. She sighed, her shoulders and wings dropped a little. “Oh, you look clever. I can’t believe that you are just some bloodthirsty monster. It doesn’t seem right to me for some reason.” 

Bendy tilted his head. 

“I mean, you closed your eyes when you...and you stopped after too,” Alice whispered. “That’s not what ‘bloodthirsty’ looks like. You even looked a bit sick after, but that might have just been the pain,” Alice said, gazing at him searchingly. Bendy’s eyes widened. His hands reached and wrapped around the bars. He let out the smallest whimper. Did she really think that? Did she understand?

Her eyes widened too. 

“Alice!” a voice called. She looked behind her. 

“Oh no. I have to go.” She grimaced. “Best not to let them find me here.” Bendy whimpered again. She looked at him. “I’ll come back when I can.” Bendy perked up at that. The curiosity and confusion grew in her eyes as she turned and, with a stretch of her wings, flew off. It was amazing, and Bendy watched, transfixed by the sight of the girl flying. To fly. Sure, he’d watched angels and birds and even bats in the night all take flight. He wondered if it was as...freeing as it seemed. No bars, no stone; just the open sky above him and the far-spread of the earth beneath. Bendy lost himself in his daydreams again.

* * *

She came. It was later in the evening. The sun was beginning to set. Most were gone. Bendy was wary though. She was dressed in the guards’ uniform. White padded torso, middle length sleeves, and work pants. The flats of her feet padded quietly as she approached the cage. Her long wavy hair was pulled back into a ponytail. 

“Hello,” she greeted. Bendy stared, not moving closer. She looked down at herself. “Oh. This. Yes, my brother was training me. All angels need to know self defense to protect themselves, after all.” Bendy furrowed his brows. They did? Why? He crept closer, cautiously. Alice smiled. She then blinked. “Hey! You could use some self-defense too! I mean, you have to fight with all those…” She trailed off, her smile falling. “But they’d never teach you. Heavens, I can’t either.” Bendy tilted his head. She pouted before her face lit up. She brought her fist down into her hand. “But! There’s nothing to stop me from practicing here in the court gardens. And if you just _happen_ to see…” She grinned. 

Bendy watched her walk away. She was weird. Really weird. She crouched, placing her hands together and formed a rod of light. Bendy jumped back even though she was far off in the middle of the court. She spinned it with precision. Moving from one stance to another. Bendy watched in amazement at her grace as she almost seemed to dance. Bendy turned his attention to her solid footing. He turned and tried to copy it. Alice paused, looking at him, and grinned. She started repeating movements again and again. Bendy worked through them in awkward slow motions, unfamiliar with the stances and movements.

He didn’t know how long she did this, but the sunlight was gone by the time she stopped. She approached the cell again. “Well, I’ll do this again sometime. If you keep practicing, you’ll get there. See you later.” She waved before stepped back and taking off into the night sky. Bendy watched her go. A strange longing made him feel hollow. He went to repeat the moves again. He went well into the night, repeating her motions again and again. 

Weeks passed. She’d come two times every week. They started a routine. He would show her what he had worked on. She would give him pointers and corrections. Once he had those down, she would show him something new. Punches, leg moves, flips, and turns. All things that worked to protect him in his fights without using his claws and fangs.

He noticed that he was able to end fights faster. There wasn’t as much pain or blood. He was quick, efficient, and he tried to be merciful. He’s own injuries lessened too. And oddly enough, it seemed the crowd that came to watch the executions had increased. There was always at least one creator there now. The looks on their faces slowly changed from distant observation to interest. Bendy didn’t know how to feel about that. 

The visits from Alice also slowly changed. She started talking to him more after her ‘practice.’ She talked about her day, her family, her work. She came from a large family. Many of her family members were of the higher angel’s tiers of their system. She had a lot of responsibilities as a healer. She had seen much bloodshed and sorrow in her short life. Bendy was surprised to learn that she wasn’t much older than him. She also told him about her hopes and dreams, about the things she wanted to change. She painted the world in a light of beauty and color that Bendy hungered to see. If only he wasn’t behind these bars.

Then, the day came. 

“My brother is impressed with my improvement,” she said. Alice sat on one side of the bar. Bendy crouched on the other. She had long gotten over any fear of him and had no discomfort sitting close enough for him to touch, if he ever dared reach out. She had come to trust him. “I have to thank you, honestly. I would have never practiced this much on my own.” She grinned. “So, thank you.”

Bendy blinked. She sighed and looked up at the full moon. “I better get going.” 

“Th-ank. Y...ou,” Bendy said haltingly. He mouth struggling to form the words. Alice froze and turned to him.

“Did you just…” She leaned closer to the bars and narrowed her eyes. “Can you talk?” 

“Al-ice,” he mumbled. “Th-ank. You.” 

Her eyes widened comically. “Holy creators! You can talk! Why haven’t you ever said anything before?” 

Bendy furrowed his brows distressingly. “Nevermind that!” Alice waved her hands. “I’m just happy that you can.” She beamed at him. Bendy felt his face heat up, and a strange warmth in his chest. Like her healing magic. “And I’ve been blabbing this whole time! Well, next time I come, I want to hear from you, okay? No more of the silent treatment.” She wagged a finger at him. 

Bendy nodded. She gave him that warm smile again and stepped back to fly away. The warmth was slowly replaced with an ache that he had started to grow familiar with. He wasn’t sure what these feelings were, but they were unpleasant. He spent the night practicing his new moves and speaking. His voice sounded odd and his tongue felt heavy, his mouth working awkwardly. It didn’t deter him. He wanted to talk to her. There was a nervous energy at the thought. Excitement. He was looking forward to her next visit. He always looked forward to it. 

The days passed. Bendy spoke whenever he was alone. He stuttered and fumbled, but he was speeding up, putting together sentences. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand language. It was just that he hadn’t used his voice since before he was taken here. 

Finally, the evening came that Alice appeared. She smiled. “Hello and good evening!” She greeted him. 

“Good evening Alice,” he replied. Her eyes lit up with excitement. 

“Oh! You sound great! You must have practiced!” Alice bounced up to the bars, her feathers shifting as she went. 

Bendy smiled and nodded. 

“Oh no, I want words.” Alice giggled. 

“Yess, I practiced,” he said, still slower than he wanted to, but at least he was understandable. 

“So, now I can finally ask you questions!” she said. “Oh, I don’t even know where to start!” 

Bendy did. “Why did you help me?” he asked haltingly. 

Alice’s face fell a little before she got the smile back. “I just got back from the front lines. There’s a war going on between two Surface nations. We were asked to help one side. You already know about that. I was so tired of suffering. It didn’t matter to me what side of the war the person was on or if you were a demon. I just didn’t want to see anyone hurting anymore.” 

“But you can heal,” Bendy said. 

“I can heal wounds. I can’t bring back the dead or regrow limbs. I have limits.” Alice sighed. 

“So, you helped me because you were tired,” Bendy pieced together. 

“No! Well yes, but no,” Alice said. 

Bendy stared at her. Alice laughed. It was like rich bells. “I mean, that first time I did. But when I saw you later, I got curious. I had heard about demons but had never seen one up close. I asked about you, and what I was told didn’t match what I had seen.” She shrugged. What had she been told? “So, my friends took me to one of the executions. They were hoping to prove something, but it didn’t work.” 

“Prove?” Bendy mumbled, flicking his tail. 

She waved a hand. “You kill, but you’re not a killer. You fight, but you don’t want to. I can tell. I’ve seen enough of it. They’re forcing you to do this, aren’t they?” 

Bendy blinked. Was she expecting him to answer? “Yes.” 

“Can you tell me about it? About you?” she asked. Bendy nodded. He told her about how he got there. The attack on his people and the kidnapping. Anything he could remember about his parents. His first execution and how sick he felt afterward. As he talked, her face became more and more serious. It was getting late. He finished, and they sat in silence.

She got up. Her face steely. “I have to do something. This isn’t right! You don’t deserve this.”

Bendy blinked. “But I’m a demon.” 

“And a good person! You don’t belong in there! You should be out here. You haven’t done a single bad thing!” Alice raged. 

“What do plan to do?” Bendy asked.

“I...I don’t know.” She grimaced. “Something. I’ll get you out. Trust me.” She turned to leave. A slash of fear went through him. 

“W-wait.” He grabbed the bars. She paused and looked back at him. “Don’t hurt yourself for me. Please.” 

“Hurt myself?” she asked. 

Bendy scowled. What were the words he wanted to use? “Don’t get in trouble.” 

Alice chuckled. “Oh, but I’m always trouble,” she teased. Her smile fell when she saw that he was serious. “I’ll try not to,” she promised. 

“Please,” Bendy pressed. “I will be very sad if you got in trouble.” Alice’s eyes widened, and she nodded. 

“Okay. I’ll see you soon, okay?” she asked. 

“Okay,” Bendy said still worried. Alice waved and took off. No practice today. 

Bendy waited, expecting for something to happen. What he got wasn’t what he expected. 

Henry, the creator, had vanished.

Everything changed after that. Bendy didn’t understand why. The angels were more tense. The Surface dwellers were quieter. Everyone was fearful. Bendy went from fighting once every few days to multiple fights a day. First a couple and then a few more. Soon, he was killing about ten people a day. The creators had a bell put up to ring when the next condemned was to come out instead of letting Bendy leave and come back. 

The murderers and condemned changed too. They were more afraid. They were different kinds of people. Older and younger. Bendy didn’t understand. Their weapons weren’t knives and swords, but bats, branches, and such. The creators didn’t come to watch anymore. Bendy was exhausted by the end of the day. Alice would come to heal him. She couldn’t explain the changes well. She looked worried and was tense like the other angels. It was because of Henry? He left? Or was taken. A rebellion of some kind. Joey was very upset with his disappearance. 

“I don’t know how long I can do this,” Bendy admitted to Alice one night. “I don’t want to fight. I hate killing. I have to do it so much now.” 

Alice’s hand reached through the bar, and she hesitated for only a moment before resting her hand on his shoulder. Bendy looked at the hand, then her. “I’ll get you out of here. I just have to figure out how.”

“Don’t get in trouble,” Bendy said and twitched to cover her hand with his. He stopped his claw though. “Don’t get a black diamond.” He had a bad feeling that any rule-breaking would be harsh and that those ‘murderers’ weren’t murderers. 

Alice’s eyes widened, but she nodded with a strong determination sparking in her beautiful dark eyes.

Days passed. Bendy grew wary. Then, at the end of another long string of fights and bloodshed, the bell rang. Bendy was grateful for the self-defense lessons. It was one thing that brought a smile to his face. He could end it quickly, move precisely without wasting energy or causing more pain. One blessing among the hardship. The doors opened, and the smile on Bendy’s face fell. 

A young man. He was already weeping in terror. He had a mop of messy light-colored hair and freckles. He had a swollen black eye and a split lip. A hint at a fight he had already been through. He held up a broken glass bottle with a shaking, pale hand. The black diamond on his chest marked him as a murderer. One so young and afraid? 

Bendy took a step back. He couldn’t. What was the real crime? This wasn’t a murderer. Bendy wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew. The look in the kid’s eyes. No! Bendy wouldn’t. He took another step back, his claws scraping the ground. Suddenly, pain exploded in his back. Bendy winced and glanced behind him. Two guard angels with their white glowing rods that burned. The angel closest to him jabbed him in the back again. Bendy shook his head. The angel scowled and shoved the rod hard enough to cause Bendy to stumble and fall on his knees. “Fight!” 

Bendy looked to the confused and cowering young man again. Bendy glanced back at the angel. “No,” he said simply. 

The angel growled and sneered before bringing the rod up and striking Bend in the chin with it. Bendy’s head jerked to the side, and he fell on his stomach. It burned. He felt his skin rip like paper under the light magic in the rods. The second angel brought his rod down on Bendy’s back. Bendy hissed in pain and covered his head with his arms as the angels beat him again and again. 

“No. No! _No!_ ” he shouted as the burning grew worse; as the lashing on his back burned, blistered, and bled. His screams echoed around the arena. 

* * *

Alice walked the side corridors. She had just finished a meeting with others. The rebellion was moving, but they didn’t have enough information. They were in the foothills of Aesop’s Falls. Somewhere. But their guerilla tactics were proving very effective, and they were gaining allies. There were rumors the demons had made contact with them. That their numbers were swelling. The creators didn’t seem to care how they handled it, but Joey wanted them all exterminated. Anyone they captured was interrogated and then taken to Bendy. 

Alice hated this. The creators were supposed to be the hope of peace; the symbols of mercy, creation, and growth. They weren’t! They were the opposite. It was like Henry had taken all those things with him when he left. 

And Bendy. What was she supposed to do? She wanted to free him, but he had begged her not to get into trouble. If she took action, she would be a traitor. At this point, she didn’t care. This wasn’t the society she had promised to serve. This was tyranny. 

Alice didn’t notice where her feet were carrying her until she passed the bodies. They were tossed haphazardly in an offshoot hall. Oh. She was next to the execution arena. Two angels brought in a new body and dropped it with the others. Blood spattered the ground. Alice’s frown tightened. He was so young. A splay of freckles spread across his nose. This wasn’t right. She felt it in her very soul.

She walked on but only made it a few steps before she saw something that brought ice to her veins. It was the same hall she had first seen him up close. Now he was dragged between two of her fellow angels. Bendy! He was so bloody and beaten. What _happened?_ She looked at the burns and slashes. Those were from…

“Drop him!” she ordered and activated her runes. Her eyes glowed with power and anger. They looked up at her in surprise and dropped the demon’s arms. He fell limp to the ground. Was he conscious? She stepped up and knelt in front of him. She lifted her hands, her runes glowing white in the dim hall. She willed all the slashes and burns on his back to heal. He jerked up in surprise as the wounds closed, and then he saw her. 

“Alice.” He sighed and fell forward. He sounded so tired. So broken. “I’m sorry.” His face twisted in pain. He lowered his head until his forehead touched hers. “They made me. I didn’t want to! I wasn’t going to!” Tears fell from his ruby eyes. Alice felt her own eyes prick.

“Bendy. I’m so sorry!” she whispered. She grabbed his arms. “I know you didn’t. This isn’t your fault.”

“Lady Alice!” ane of the angels growled. Alice ignored them. 

Bendy sobbed and lifted his arms to cling to her. He dropped his head on her shoulder and shook with his grief, fear, and sorrow. Alice squeezed her eyes shut and hugged him tightly. “It’s okay, Bendy. It’s okay. You’re not the monster. You’re a good person. I know you are. It’s them. Not you.”

Alice guided him to stand up with her. He didn’t loosen his hold at all as he continued to whisper apologies. Alice was surprised that his hug was so warm and soft. The rumors of them being cold were completely false. It was just the aura. 

Then suddenly, something wrapped around Bendy’s forearm and torso and yanked him back. He gasped. 

“Bendy!” Alice shouted. Three angels wrapped light bindings around him and pulled him back. It had only taken them a few seconds to make him completely immobile. The claws on his feet cut divets in the stone as they dragged him away from her. “What are you doing!” Alice demanded. “Let him go!” 

“This demon refuses to follow orders! The creators have no need for an Executioner that refuses to kill,” one of the others told her. “It is to be exterminated for its disobedience.” Bendy’s eyes widened. He couldn’t speak with the binds wrapped around his mouth. He looked terrified. 

“Let him go!” Alice demanded. She lifted her hands and activated her runes. She wasn’t just going to let them take him! He was innocent! She would fight! Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her throat in a choke hold. When had two more shown up? Alice lifted her hands to the arm and shifted her weight. But before she could free herself, a knife appeared in the other angel’s hand, and he slashed it across her seal. Her angel seal. She screamed as her powers shot through her nerves like an electric shock and then dimmed. Her vision blurred. Tears blurred her eyes as her back burned. 

No.

She was supposed to save him.

“As a traitor and sympathizer to the demons, you are hereby condemned to death as a fallen and lose your right to the powers the creators blessed you with,” the angel behind her said. He sounded so far away, even though his arm was the one holding her up now. She saw the horror on Bendy’s face. She wanted to apologize. She had let him down.

* * *

Bendy grimaced. They had tied him down with the light ropes. He was forced to kneel in the middle of the room on a raised platform. It was circular and stone. The wooden neck rest was jammed under his chin. An angel executioner with a black hood stood to his side with a glowing, white ax. The round room didn’t look like it would be a place for killing. It appeared to be a place of judgment. Three tall stain glass windows were to Bendy’s back, allowing the moonlight to gleam through them. In front of him, three angel guards stood, two holding the now tied up Alice. He had seen what they had done. She was a traitor now. Because of him.

Behind them was a tall raised podium. There Joey, Sammy, and the other creators stood; towering over the rest of them. Tower. It really did look like an indoor tower. Always above the rest of them. Bendy hated them. They weren’t people to the creators. They were objects. Toys. Nothing more! They listed off his crimes, but Bendy didn’t listen to them. His eyes were only on Alice. 

Her veil was gone. The ponytail had loosened, allowing whisps of her dark curly hair to fall around her worried and sorrowful face. The cut on her chest was bleeding, staining the white uniform. It went right through the angel mark. Her wings. He had watched the feathers fall away and turn into glittering dust. He had done this to her. She was going to die because of him. If he had just kept fighting or if he had just not gotten close to her! She wouldn’t be here! She wouldn’t suffer!

He was so sorry. He didn’t want this. He strained against the bonds weakly. He missed the creators condemning him. He did notice the executioner move to make preparations. This was it. He was going to die. And why? Because he didn’t want to kill. What a strange reason. What a horrible world they had to live in that it had to be like this. That someone as good and kind as Alice was called a traitor. 

Bendy looked up to see her again, but movement from the entrance caught his eye. Two angels were guiding a young demon child down the hall. The child, wide-eyed and frightened, paused at the sight of him. The moment those innocent, lost, red eyes met his; Bendy understood. 

He was being replaced. This child was next. Just as he had been brought in and replaced the demon before him. This child was condemned for the life Bendy had just lived. And why? Because he was a demon like Bendy. He had horns and claws and a spiked tail, and that was enough for them. 

Bendy growled and fought against the ropes more as the executioner took his spot beside Bendy. The ropes cut. He didn’t care. They burned, and blood swelled at the cuts. He didn’t care. Bendy howled. He wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t allow this cycle to continue! He was not allowing a child to suffer for his choices. The ropes loosened a touch.

“Keep it restrained!” Joey ordered. Angels moved to Bendy and his bindings. He howled and snarled as he fought the pain and restraints. One left Alice to make sure Bendy didn’t escape. The executioner raised his ax. That was all she needed. She flipped the other angel and darted through the crowds of guards. She was on the platform in the blink of an eye and kicked the ax upward. It swung blade over handle as she punched the man. The others exclaimed in shock. 

Alice snatched the ax out of the air and brought it down on the white ropes. With a hiss, Bendy shot up, free. The executioner moved to lift a hand against Alice. Bendy pounced and landed on the man, knocking him off the platform with Bendy on top. Others charged Alice. She blocked their rods with her forearms and gave quick jabs at their chests, necks, and stomachs. 

The young demon child watched with wide eyes. He took one step into the room. Then two. The guards that had been guiding him were in the fray. Bendy kicked another guard away. He punched one across the room. Bendy stepped to be back to back with Alice. The young demon approached slowly.

“W-will you help me?” the young one asked in a quiet voice. “I--They took me from my mom.” 

Bendy stepped down the stairs and crouched in front of the child. He offered his claws. “Come. Let’s leave this horrible place. I will help you try to find your mother. My name is Bendy.” 

The child smiled. “Zumenni.” He gave Bendy his small claw. Bendy smiled back. 

“Enough! Seize them! Kill them all!” Joey shouted. 

Bendy looked up to see dozens of angels rushing into the room all under the accusing, condemning finger of Joey Drew. Bendy scooped up the child in one arm and grabbed Alice’s hand in the other.

“Wait!” Alice turned on her heel and threw the ax. It sailed through the air and stuck the back wall...right next to Joey. The creator’s outrage dropped to shock at the attempt on his life. Alice clicked her tongue in frustration. “Missed. I was never any good with axes.” Her hand went back into Bendy’s and squeezed it tight. She smiled as they ran toward the other side of the room. “Now I’m definitely a rebel.”

“I don’t know where to go,” Bendy admitted as they came to the three stain glass windows. Neither of them slowed. The center window was the tallest, with an image of the creator Henry holding up a pen. 

“Don’t worry! I know where we can go. We just have to get out of here first!” Alice glared up at the glass. Bendy lept, taking the child and falling with him as he crashed through the glass and into the open night. They landed and rolled before standing and running again. Zumenni tightened his grip around Bendy’s neck. 

“What are you planning, Alice?” Bendy asked as they ran. 

“If I’m a traitor for being kind and you’re a monster for being a demon, then we’ll go somewhere demons and traitor will be accepted!” Alice said. “We’ll join the rebellion. Together! We’ll claim our freedom with others that are tired of this tyranny.” 

“Together?” Bendy asked looking over at her. The cool air pushed her free hair back, and the moon made her midnight eyes glitter. 

“Together!” she promised. 

Bendy smiled. Even though he was running for his life from two dozen angels, even though he had a lost child in his arms and an unknown future of danger ahead of him, he couldn’t help the excited swell of hope in his chest. The moon and starry night seemed beautiful to him. Bendy felt like he was flying.

* * *

The walked up. The two standing guard straightened and raised their hands. Then, they paused. “Holy hell,” one of them muttered. He had the strangest hair, like bubbles. 

“What do we do?” the other asked, his chin tucked into a long scarf. 

The first thought for a long moment. 

“Please let us in,” Bendy asked.

The guards shared another look. They nodded. “But don’t try anything fishy or I’ll blast you to bits!” the bubble one snarled.

The three tired, dirty, thin beings were brought into the camp. The pair of Dish men walked behind the three with hands raised and fingers ready. Demons and toons whispered to each other at the three new arrivals. Children clung to mothers and fathers. A dark griffin-like demon circled around a young, pale girl protectively. A fox and cat nearly dropped a box at the sight of them. A little bug-cat thing darted across the path in front of them. The tents were spread out. Wide crates of supplies were piled near doorways like mounds They were led into an older, worn tent at the end of the rows and watching eyes. A bunny and mouse stood on either side of the entrance. The figures stopped.

The rabbit glared at them as the mouse pulled the flap open. “They’re here.” 

After a couple moments, a girl stepped out with a clipboard and a little fluffy creature on her shoulder. The rodent looked up at them. 

“Meep?” it said curiously. 

“Alice, Bendy, and Zumenni?” the girl asked. 

“Yes.” Alice stepped up. 

“He’s been expecting you,” she said. 

Alice and Bendy exchanged a look. “The leader?” Bendy asked. 

“Yes, he is right this way.” The girl pulled the flap aside. Bendy, Alice, and the kid walked in. There was a crowd of toons around a table with a huge map on it. A wolf narrowed his eyes at them. A bald man in a newsie cap and a bandana smiled gently at them. A cat with an odd bag around his waist tipped his hat back to look at them better. A lizard pulled his glassing up. A pair of foxes moved papers off the map and watched them warily. There was an odd bird creature on one of their shoulders. Another angel crossed his arms and measured them up. In the center of the group was a man. A familiar man. A man Bendy had seen before but never smiling like this. 

“Hello Bendy, Alice, Zumenni. It’s good to see you.” Henry Stein smiled kindly. “I’ve heard what you’ve been through. Come, have a seat. I’m sure there’s much you want to talk about.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by The Inky Mystery and an animatic made by EmptyFeet called [Original Animatic | CHURCH](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0s0E_WsqvQ).


End file.
